Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
UCLA’s Lauren Betts Wins 2025 Lisa Leslie Center of The Year Award
April 05, 2025 | Women's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – UCLA junior Lauren Betts has been named the 2025 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year, as announced on Saturday by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
Betts, a 6-foot-7 center from Centennial, Colo., has become the first student-athlete from UCLA to have won the prestigious Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award, in the annual reveal of the Naismith Starting Five. The award made its debut at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season. She becomes the fifth individual to have won the award in the eight-year history.
Earlier in the week, Betts was honored as the 2025 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year and the WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year (as announced by the WBCA).
Betts has anchored UCLA's No. 1-ranked defense this season, providing unmatched rim protection and impressive mobility in guarding outside of the post. She has totaled a school single-season-record 100 blocks in 34 games, the first Bruin to achieve such a mark. Betts was named the league's unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in early March, in addition to being named a first-team All-Big Ten selection and being selected to the conference's All-Defensive Team.
Through Friday's game against UConn, Betts averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. She entered Friday's semifinal contest in Tampa having logged 0.9 steals per game. Betts has surpassed 600 points and 300 rebounds this season, becoming just UCLA's second player to achieve those single-season benchmarks (joining former UCLA standout Denise Curry, three times from 1978-81).
Betts surpassed Monique Billings for UCLA's single-season program record when she totaled six blocks against No. 25 Illinois, bringing her then-season total to 67. She also set the UCLA single-game blocks record with nine in a win over No. 25 Baylor on Monday, Jan. 20, competing at the Coretta Scott King Classic.
The other four finalists for this season's Center of the Year Award included Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Raegen Beers (Oklahoma), Sedona Prince (TCU) and Taylor Jones (Texas). Stanford's Cameron Brink was honored as the award recipient in 2024.
Betts, a 6-foot-7 center from Centennial, Colo., has become the first student-athlete from UCLA to have won the prestigious Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award, in the annual reveal of the Naismith Starting Five. The award made its debut at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season. She becomes the fifth individual to have won the award in the eight-year history.
Earlier in the week, Betts was honored as the 2025 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year and the WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year (as announced by the WBCA).
Betts has anchored UCLA's No. 1-ranked defense this season, providing unmatched rim protection and impressive mobility in guarding outside of the post. She has totaled a school single-season-record 100 blocks in 34 games, the first Bruin to achieve such a mark. Betts was named the league's unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in early March, in addition to being named a first-team All-Big Ten selection and being selected to the conference's All-Defensive Team.
Through Friday's game against UConn, Betts averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. She entered Friday's semifinal contest in Tampa having logged 0.9 steals per game. Betts has surpassed 600 points and 300 rebounds this season, becoming just UCLA's second player to achieve those single-season benchmarks (joining former UCLA standout Denise Curry, three times from 1978-81).
Betts surpassed Monique Billings for UCLA's single-season program record when she totaled six blocks against No. 25 Illinois, bringing her then-season total to 67. She also set the UCLA single-game blocks record with nine in a win over No. 25 Baylor on Monday, Jan. 20, competing at the Coretta Scott King Classic.
The other four finalists for this season's Center of the Year Award included Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Raegen Beers (Oklahoma), Sedona Prince (TCU) and Taylor Jones (Texas). Stanford's Cameron Brink was honored as the award recipient in 2024.
Players Mentioned
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